John T. Trowbridge wrote his renowned poem in 1870, and it took the fancy of youngsters of that time as well as subsequent generations. I’m sure that also, consciously or unconsciously, it inspired some of those youngsters, as they grew up, to transform their earth-bound bicycles into flying machines. You can read the full poem at bottom of the page.

It’s now so common to jump onto an airplane for our holidays, it’s easy, in the 21st century, to take flying for granted. But the first sustained flight with a powered, controlled aircraft was not really that long ago – in 1903 (presumably the Wright Brothers’ Flyer I, but possibly Alberto Santos-Dumont’s 14-Bis).

There had been airplane designs and concepts over the years, stretching back centuries; it wasn’t until the early 1900s that propeller planes made those ideas a reality. The propeller mounted on the Wright Brothers’ plane was driven by manpower, using a system based on the Wright Brothers’ bicycle designs.

Many enthusiasts and inventors built pedal-aeroplanes, especially after Robert Peugeot of France offered a prize for the first flight of a distance of 10 metres or 33 feet, in 1912.

There were many attempts at this, and Peugeot gave several consolation prizes, some of them for distances less than the long-jump record of the time which was 7.61 metres (Peter O’Connor in Dublin, 5 Aug 1901). But the prize was not won for nine years.

CYCLING MAGAZINE, 2nd JANUARY 1913

Above, Paul Didier with the winged bicycle upon which hew recently ‘flew’ a distance of 10 yards. Note the small dimensions of the planes.

Below: Didier making his marvellous jump at the Parc des Princes, Paris. He is clearing a rod 8″ from the ground.

THE WRIGHT BROTHERS

It was a cold December morning, with low clouds scudding across the sky, blown by a gusty wind that would have sent hats flying in a city street. Sometimes the sun broke through for a moment, as though it was anxious not to miss the great event that was soon to take place below.

The place was Kitty Hawk, a curious name for a stretch of barren sand-dunes that were rather like a corner of the Sahara Desert. But the name had the right sound for the place where man was going to fly an aeroplane for the first time.

Across a flat stretch of sand two clever young men had laid down what looked like a single railway line. On this rested a little two-wheeled trolley, and mounted on the trolley was a most curious contraption of wood and cloth and metal.

This was the aeroplane – the ‘flying machine’ – that two brother had built. To us, looking back over the years to 1903, it might be taken for a large kite. But to the Wright Brothers who had built it, it was the pride of their hearts, the result of years of work and experimenting. And indeed, on a closer look at that contraption resting like an ungainly bird on its roght plank trollety, it was not such a simple affair. it had two wings, a tail with two rudders, elevators, two propellers, an engine, controls and a place for the pilot.

It is true that the wings were flimsy, the tail seemed to be in front instead of behind, the propellers were a peculiar shape and were driven by chains like a bicycle, the engine had about the power of a motor-bike, and the pilot lay face downwards precariously on the wing, without so much as a windscreen to protect him.

– The Wright Brothers, by Bruce Carter, 1955

The Wright brothers, Orville (August 19, 1871 – January 30, 1948) and Wilbur (April 16, 1867 – May 30, 1912), were credited with inventing and building the world’s first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903. In the two years afterward, the brothers developed their flying machine into the first practical fixed-wing aircraft. Although not the first to build and fly experimental aircraft, the Wright brothers were the first to invent aircraft controls that made fixed-wing powered flight possible.

The brothers’ fundamental breakthrough was their invention of three-axis control, which enabled the pilot to steer the aircraft effectively and to maintain its equilibrium. This method became standard and remains standard on fixed-wing aircraft of all kinds. From the beginning of their aeronautical work, the Wright brothers focused on developing a reliable method of pilot control as the key to solving “the flying problem”. This approach differed significantly from other experimenters of the time who put more emphasis on developing powerful engines. Using a small homebuilt wind tunnel, the Wrights also collected more accurate data than any before, enabling them to design and build wings and propellers that were more efficient than any before. Their first U.S. patent, 821,393, did not claim invention of a flying machine, but rather, the invention of a system of aerodynamic control that manipulated a flying machine’s surfaces.

They gained the mechanical skills essential for their success by working for years with printing presses, bicycles, motors, and other machinery. The Wright Brothers had become interested in bicycles in the early 1890s, as the safety bicycle started to become popular. Each of them bought one, with Orville taking up racing, doing well in local events. They soon noticed how many people wanted bicycles. So, in 1893, they set up a bicycle shop across the street from their printing business. They repaired bikes as well as selling them, and soon realized they could build better machines than those they were selling. Soon they began designing and building their own, culminating in the ‘Wright Special.’

Their work with bicycles in particular influenced their belief that an unstable vehicle like a flying machine could be controlled and balanced with practice. From 1900 until their first powered flights in late 1903, they conducted extensive glider tests that also developed their skills as pilots. Their bicycle shop employee Charlie Taylor became an important part of the team, building their first aircraft engine in close collaboration with the brothers.

The Wright brothers’ status as inventors of the airplane has been subject to counter-claims by various parties. Much controversy persists over the many competing claims of early aviators.

WRIGHT BROTHERS WORKSHOP

1930 NELSON GLIDE-O-BIKE

Here’s a wonderful chance for every boy to get into flying. Here’s the chance you’ve been waiting for. Don’t miss it. Read every word of this advertisement – and then get ready to enjoy some real flying thrills. You want to fly, of course. Every red-blooded boy does. Now you can! Just send us 25c and get our easy plans for making a genuine Glide-O-Bike. Any boy can build it in a jiffy.

Once you read the Glide-O-Bike adverts more closely, you realize that with the plans you buy for 25c you don’t actually build a bike that flies, rather you create a bike whose front wheel lifts off. Nevertheless, it’s a great idea and I’m sure lots of youngsters made some decent pocket money:

‘Other fellows will be glad to pay you 10c to 25c a ride. Operate your own airport. With every set of plans, we send you free instructions for starting and operating a Glide-O-Bike airport like the one in the picture.’